The Tree of Life
by BobWhite
Summary: Two orphans who won the Lottery for the tenth pilgrimage take an incredible journey together 1 day after arriving in Terra Nova. Are these orphans from a time that predates the dinosaurs in this time period? Full summary inside. Please R&R 2 find out more.
1. Above & Beyond

**Full Summary:**

There is a tree in Terra Nova where all animals converge once a year. The scientists of Terra Nova know nothing of this tree until a girl from 2419 ventures through the portal. What happens when the animals of Terra Nova start to converge on the settlement? Will a secret from the girl's past be brought to light? And why does the convergence only happen once a year? Are the animals trying to tell the people something? Or is the Tree a way of communicating between this world and the next?

**Above & Beyond:**

**The Tree:**

They pushed onwards, always moving. It happened only once a year and it didn't matter if the animals were Carnivores or Herbivores, they all converged. It was a special tree, one where everything became one. The tree gave the dinosaurs and creatures a chance to change how they were seen. It was something of a miracle. It wasn't even supposed to exist in this time period but it did. The dinosaurs knew not how it came to be here only that for as long as they had been alive they had been converging on the same spot.

And it wasn't just the land animals either. The tree sat on a rock in shallow water between a beach and the ocean. The land animals would stay either in the shallows or on the beach and the creatures of the ocean would stay just off shore, where it was still deep. They would stay the entire day and would just stand there. It had been overlooked by the people of Terra Nova because they couldn't harvest the tree for fear that some ocean creature would attack.

The tree was nearly 4,000 feet tall and as wide as four school buses. It predated the Terra Novans, predated the portal, predated most of the dinosaur species, and predated the birth of the time period. In fact, the tree had been born right as the time period had been. Humans had lived here before the dinosaurs did and they had worshipped the tree before it had ever been in the ocean. Where it stood was where the center of the human town had been. The human town no longer existed but that didn't mean its people didn't exist.

The people still existed, but they weren't seen in this world. They weren't seen in any world. And only one person could get them to come out of hiding. But that's for later on in the story. For now, let's just get back to the beginning of a wonderful story!

**Equinox:**

The Carnotaur's arrived first. They were the first to get to the tree. And they waited. It wouldn't be long now, before the rest of the dinosaurs and creatures showed up. As they waited they waded into the shallow water and out again. Their young stayed on the shore and drank some of the sea water but not much. The Carnotaur's knew better than to attack any of the Herbivores headed this way, towards the tree. This was a sacred place and every creature on the continent knew how to get here.

The Brachiosaurus arrived next closely followed by the Pterosaurs. The Slashers arrived next followed by the Brontosaurus. The Ancestral Komodo Dragons showed up next with their young and all followed closely by the Ankylosaurus' and their herd. The Nykoraptors showed up next closely followed by the Empirosaurs. The giant dragonfly's and the Ovosaurus are the last to show up, though there are many more dinosaurs from the ocean to still show up.

Like the humans of Terra Nova and the humans that once lived around the Tree, the dinosaurs and creatures of the time period now waited for the Equinox to make itself known as this was the reason they all gathered at the tree every year. It was said to be a magical day, though known only to humans as to why. And so the waiting began.

As the Equinox began, all dinosaurs: herbivore, carnivore and sea alike lay down or sat depending on what kind of animal it was. The sea creatures, though they could not stop swimming, did stop swimming in circles. They kept themselves afloat by moving their tails back and forth but that was it. They were used to this yearly pilgrimage, though they knew not why they were called to the tree.

But unbeknownst to the creatures watching the Equinox, they were being watched as well. Humans from the settlement of Terra Nova had seen the weird migration and had followed. They stood in awe at what they saw, video-taping to some point what was going on. They would show the scientists back in the settlement when they got back, if they could get back without alerting the carnivores that they were there.

But it didn't matter. Though the carnivores (all of them) smelled the humans, they did not leave the area surrounding the tree and the humans left in silence, never to witness something so miraculous ever again.

And so the story of the Tree begins…

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

_**Please Review…**_


	2. Life Chronicles

_**Will be a short chapter for the people of the Tree but main character is in last subchapter…Sorry for such a short chapter…**_

**Life Chronicles:**

**The Great Unknown:**

We are called the Tree People, because we worship around the tree in the center of our town. We know no other name, only that we were here before any others. But we know that our world is dying, not really dying, but our people are dying and we need to leave in order to rebuild. We know that one day our people will return one day, we just don't know when that day will be. We pack everything we own, a child is about to be born and she must be born where she will thrive. My wife and I will leave her to thrive where we believe she will. We will leave her with scant clues to who she really is, but she will follow these clues to her people and bring about a whole new meaning to life.

**Leaving The Tree:**

We leave now, not knowing when we will return but knowing that when we do, our home may not exist anymore. We know that the tree will still be here but only that. Our homes and that which we have built will have been destroyed by the moving grounds and the volcano that threatens to kill us all. We must flee or be killed and my wife is about to give birth to our daughter. We know she is a little girl because she rides like a girl. My wife says that she will be born into a new generation and as soon as we know she is safe, we will leave our human bodies to join our brothers and sisters in our other bodies. It will be our daughter's destiny to bring about a new meaning to life!

We turn one last time to see the tree in the background before we step through the portal to the other side. Within a matter of hours our daughter is born. We leave her on the steps of an orphanage with a locket around her neck, a book by her side and a note for those that find her.

_To whom it may concern,_

_Her name is Audio Hatfield. She is our daughter. The locket and book are all that remain of her family. Give them to her when she gets old enough to understand that we had no choice. If we did not leave her here, she would have surely been killed just like the rest of us. Please take care of her. Tell her that we loved her. _

_Sincerely,_

_The Hatfield's_

**A New Home:**

Audio Hatfield always knew that there was something different from her. She is an orphan, growing up within the city's domes but also growing up outside of them as well. She never knew her family, but a strange locket and a book left with her on the orphanage steps tell her that she is destined for greatness. But Audio doesn't know how she will fulfill her destiny stuck in a dying world. The year is 2149 and Audio wishes she could be anywhere but there.

She wishes she could be picked for the Lottery and go through the portal to the settlement of Terra Nova where she knows she can do some good. She wishes she could have a loving family that won't treat her weird but knows that most of her wishes won't come true. Only full families are sent through the portal. Only accomplished persons such as doctors and scientists and military personnel are sent through the portal. An orphan such as herself won't win the Lottery.

The note, the locket and the book were all she had left of her family now. She kept them with her at all times. She used the note as a bookmark for the book. She kept the book in her backpack and the locket around her neck. She had never opened the locket for fear that she would learn the truth as to why her parents abandoned her here. And as much as she wished she could see them, she knew that she would never see them ever again.

But enough of that kind of talk. Her best friend Maddy Shannon has been selected for the Lottery with her mother, who is a doctor. Josh seems sad to leave his girlfriend behind. And I am reluctant to lose a close friend as well until I get news that I have also been chosen to from the Lottery and will be heading to Terra Nova with my best friend. So we pack together. What doesn't fit in Maddy's bag goes in mine so that at least we will both have what we want to bring with us. We are all smiles as I head to her house for the night before we are to leave.

This is the start of a new life for all of us…

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

_**Please review…**_


	3. The New World

**The New World:**

**A Child Returns Home:**

Audio is standing next to Maddy as they headed through the portal. They are all smiles but Audio knows what Maddy's mother is trying to do and wishes her the best. Mr. and Mrs. Shannon exchange bags before I see no more and head through the portal. Maddy and are next to Josh when Mrs. Shannon comes through and then all of a sudden Mr. Shannon is on the ground. When the soldiers go to cut open the bag with Zoey inside, I am next to the Shannon family screaming no with them as Zoey is also my friend. Zoey clings to her parents as I stand aside to let the soldiers understand that though I care about the girl, I am not family.

We are marched along with the rest of the settlers to the settlement. Maddy, Zoey and I are in front of Josh who hurries to catch up with us. When we get to the settlement, we are in awe. This is to be our new home. We look at each other with smiles on our faces and though I know nothing of my heritage, somehow I know that I am home for good. I know that somehow winning the Lottery was rigged for me as I feel a pull somewhere out beyond the gates. We splinter off as Maddy goes with her family and I am led to a house with three other orphans that were also chosen for the Lottery. We figure it out at the same time. The more kids there are here the more of a population Terra Nova will have.

**New Friends:**

Once settled in my new room, I head to find Maddy since I have some of her belongings in my bag. I pull out my small backpack and put my book inside along with some of the money that I had brought with me so that I could buy what I wanted. I found the Shannon house in perfect time and wandered in. Maddy greeted me with a smile and then we headed into her room where I proceeded to give her the things I had packed for her. When we came back out, Mr. Shannon was in the living room with Mrs. Shannon.

"Audio, this is my dad and you already know my mom."

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Shannon."

"Likewise, Audio is it? How'd you come up with that name?"

"My parents gave it to me in a note after they left me on the doorstep of the orphanage I grew up in. I actually like it; it helps me stand out from the rest of the kids."

"And how did you meet Maddy?"

"School, we were in the same math class together and Maddy had to tutor me. I wasn't that good at math so it was an easy fit."

"So what do you do for fun?"

"I read about my people. My parents left me with a book about a people that doesn't exist anymore and I've always thought that they were somehow related to me. I know, it sounds weird, but I can't help it, it's just how I feel."

"Good enough explanation for me."

"Anyways, I should get back to my house Maddy. I'll see you at orientation tomorrow. Gotta get to know my new housemates."

"How is it that you get to live by yourself and we have to live with our parents?" _Josh asked._

"Might have something to do with the fact that my housemates are also orphans. We chalked us being here up to populating Terra Nova with as many kids as possible to make a new life for ourselves. Guess they've been sending orphans through the portal for the last couple pilgrimages."

"That is so not fair!"

"Josh, you have parents; we don't. Just be happy you have parents. See you guys tomorrow."

I headed back to my house and then inside. My housemates were making up the blue shakes we were to eat for the next three days to get used to the food. I smiled as I introduced myself.

"Hey guys, I'm Audio Hatfield."

"Hey, I'm Jonah Thompson; this is Carey and Jessica White. They are brother and sister and they were orphaned on the same day. Something about their parents getting into a car accident. Me on the other hand, well my parents were both cops and they ended up getting blown up in some terror attack when I was like six. So how about you? How'd you become an orphan?" _Jonah finished._

"I was born an orphan. My parents left me on the front steps of the orphanage with a note, a locket and a book. I've been trying to figure out my family history ever since I could read."

"Bummer, you've had it worse than us that's for sure. Though some would say you had it better than us." _Jessica said._

"Oh how would I have had it better than you? At least you guys got to know your parents before you were orphaned. My parents abandoned me on the orphanage steps before taking off for god knows where."

"Sorry to make you mad, but I think what Jessica meant was at least you didn't have to go through the pain of losing your parents at such a young age. You never knew your parents so you didn't have to know the kind of pain we all did when we lost our parents." _Carey said._

"No, I get, I can just be a little defensive when it comes right down to it and all."

"That's okay. Everyone can be pretty defensive and all. So what have we got on the menu for the next few days?" _Jonah asked._

"Well we have orientation tomorrow and then some testing to see what schooling we are going to need following orientation. Pretty much booked up for the next few days. But I was going to see if I could talk to some of the scientists into letting me go outside the gates with them. I don't know why, but I get a feeling that something is waiting for me out there."

"Yeah, like things that can eat you. No, if it were me, I would never leave the Compound but everyone has to now and then for a work party. Guess we all better get some sleep since we have such a busy couple days ahead of us."

My three roommates headed into their separate rooms but I stayed out in the living room and pulled out my book. I flipped through the pages silently, trying desperately to see what my parents wanted me to see. I was concentrating so hard that I didn't hear Jonah come up behind me.

"Hey, sorry if I startled you, but you should really get some sleep."

"I can't sleep. Something's telling me that there is definitely something waiting for me Outside the Gates."

"Well if you like, we can skip orientation tomorrow and see i we can sneak out, see what it is that is calling to you? How does that sound?"

"You would do that? You barely know me."

"I get the feeling that something is also pulling you to leave the Compound. If we can find someone to show us how to sneak out then I say we do it. But we might want to be back inside before dark or bring weapons with us. We can pack for a few nights out; you can even bring that book of yours."

"What's the real reason you want to help me?"

"I see that locket of yours. It hasn't stopped moving since we all came through the portal. Something in that locket is telling me that it was made here. Have you ever opened it up?"

"No, I never had the nerve to do so."

"Mind opening it up?"

"Sure, I mean I might as well now that you said what you said. The book has mentioned my locket a few times but I never seemed to understand what it was telling me."

"Well maybe it was telling you to open the locket to see what it wanted you to see."

"Guess that kind of makes sense."

I pulled my locket from around my neck and clicked it open. The second it was open, a bright light filled the room. I closed it almost immediately, not knowing what it meant. I looked over at Jonah who seemed just as in awe as me.

"We are definitely leaving the Compound and skipping orientation tomorrow. We gotta figure out what that light means."

"I agree with you. Let's hope no one misses us too much. They'll only figure out that we are gone when orientation is over because I don't plan on coming back until I know why I was brought here and why I was abandoned in the first place."

"And I will help in any way that I can."

We headed off to bed then, moving to our respective rooms, though I didn't fall asleep right away. I packed as much as I could into a backpack and put it next to my bed. I had managed to smuggle a knife and a couple daggers through the portal with me in my bag and would keep them on me no matter what. I put the book in the small pocket in front and put the locket back around my neck. We would grab what we needed food wise when we left the next day. It had to look like we were going to orientation. There was a notebook and pen in my bag just in case anyone asked me why I brought a backpack to orientation.

**Out The Gate:**

Jonah and I were the first ones up in the morning, making sure we had everything we needed to stay alive Outside the Gates. We knew that if we were caught, we would never be trusted again. I had told Maddy that I would see her this morning during orientation but now she would have to do without me. Carey and Jessica got up an hour before orientation and we all left together, heading towards orientation together. We talked little, I not knowing if I had offended the siblings or not and they not really wanting to talk at all. Jonah and I whispered a few times but before we got to orientation, I told my housemates that I had forgotten something at the house and would meet them in a few minutes.

I ran back to the house and grabbed the backpack and when I came back out I noticed Jonah walking towards me very fast. I had his backpack in my hands and handed it to him as we headed for a part of the gate that wasn't very well watched. He had gotten information from some kids that were planning on going OTG we headed to the area that they were going to use. We were under the fence within in seconds and came upon the group of kids which included Josh Shannon within minutes of leaving the Compound.

"Looks like we got two more newcomers joining the party." _Skye said._

"Hey Josh. What are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are Audio, skipping orientation. But what's your excuse for skipping?"

"You two know each other?" _Jonah asked._

"Josh's sister is my best friend from 2149. And we are trying to figure out some things about my family history if you must know. We're headed out for a few days, mind if we catch a lift with you so we don't get caught by any patrols?"

"No problem. Any friend of Josh's is a friend of ours. Come on, let's go."

We got into the Rover with Josh, Skye and their friends and rode with them for a while. They let us out and continued on their way. We turned west and headed in that direction. Jonah pulled out a gun and put the holster on his belt and I looked at him.

"What? I took it off a guard and got the hell away before he realized it was gone. He was a little drunk anyways and I figured since we were going to be out here for a few days anyways it would come in handy. Don't tell me you didn't bring any kind of weapon?"

"A knife and some daggers but that's only because I smuggled them from 2149. They kept me safe there so I figured that they would keep me safe here. Come on, we need to be out of this area before someone comes looking. And according to my locket we are headed in the right direction. Apparently it doubles as a compass. Guess it knows where it's going."

We stopped talking and followed the locket compass for a few more miles. We found out that we were being followed by a few Slashers as soon as it started to get dark but instead of stopping, we kept going. I opened my locket to keep the Slashers at bay and we finally stopped to see what the locket was really showing us. Both of our mouths fell open.

"Is that what I think it is?" _Jonah asked._

"It looks like an old human settlement but if I'm not mistaken, the first people to conquer this time period were from 2149. So where is this settlement located?"

"Looks like it's close by but we might want to sleep in a tree tonight so we are feasted on by whatever is stocking us."

"Yeah that's probably a good idea. The higher we get the better don't you agree?"

"Yup, up you get."

Jonah pushed me up into the tree and I turned around and helped him up then the two of us started to climb higher until we found a suitable place to fall asleep. I pulled my backpack off my back and moved my arms through the straps so that it was on my chest and wouldn't fall out of the tree while we were sleeping. Jonah did the same thing with his backpack and then the two of us got some sleep. We knew that as soon as Josh and the others got back to the Compound they would most likely alert someone letting them know that we had planned on being out for a few days which would mean that we needed to be up as early as possible so no one would be able to find us so quickly. We fell asleep in each other's arms so that we could stay warm and for the first time in a long time, we both slept without any problems.

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

_**Please Review…**_


	4. Across The Horizon

**Across The Horizon:**

**Finding The Tree:**

Jonah woke me around seven the next morning and we both climbed down. When we turned around, away from the tree, we came face to face with a Carnotaur. We stopped and looked up at it. I pulled my locket out and opened it up, hoping the light would let us run. But all the carnotaur did was move aside as if saying to us that it wanted us to follow him. It was as if the Slashers had told the rest of the animals that we were out there, as if they knew that we were looking for something.

Jonah took my hand and we moved ahead, following the Carnotaur which was joined shortly by a group of Slashers. Our backpacks were back on our backs and we knew that if anyone was looking for us they would see our footprints. Well that was until we looked behind us and realized that our footprints were being swallowed by the dinosaur footprints. And we were getting farther and farther away from the Terra Novan Compound with every step we took. We may have been new to the time period but we knew what we were getting ourselves into when we left the Compound the day before.

Telling Josh that we would be gone for a few days only meant that when they got back inside the gates, they would most certainly tell someone of authority that we had left with them and that we didn't plan on coming back for a while. I almost felt sorry that I had lied to Maddy but I needed to find out who I was and Jonah was with me so it wasn't like I was alone or anything. Besides, Jonah seemed to genially care about my past which got me thinking that maybe he somehow knew more than he was telling me. And I had to ask.

"Jonah, do you know something more about my past then what you are telling me?"

"I figured you would ask sooner or later. My parents told me of a child that was birthed shortly after leaving her home-time, a time period that they came from. We are of the same people Audio. Your parents were friends with my parents and up until a few years ago were still very much alive. They said that they had to leave you, abandon you for your own safety. They said something about you having a gift that could restore our people's lives back to their former glory. But all I know is that here, in this time period, we were known as a different name. Sure we were human, but the name we went by was different. They left me the same book your parents left you only I think it's the second half of your book. I never really got why half of my book was missing."

"Hey I never got that part either. I always thought half my book was missing by the time I got to the end of my book that I had to keep re-reading it over and over again to see if I could find out where the second part of the book was. Guess now we both know that we were meant to find each other and make this journey. But why do you think the carnivores haven't eaten us yet?"

"Maybe they know something about our people, about our history that we don't know about. Maybe they are here to show us what drew us out yesterday."

"Oh my; Jonah look!"

I had stopped along with the Slashers and the Carnotaur. I was pointing towards the ocean where a rather large tree was standing. It was huge, compared to the other trees on the continent. And it was standing in the middle of the shallow part of the ocean; which was to say that it was actually on a rock right at the end of the shallow part and at the beginning of the deep part. We moved from the carnivore's sides and into the shallow water. The second my hand touched the tree, something happened and we had to look up in awe once again.

The tree started glowing, a bright yellow glow as if it recognized the person that had touched it. When Jonah touched it, it started glowing brighter as if it had been waiting for its people to return to it. We both had smiles on our faces and it wasn't until we turned towards the carnivores that we realized why they had led us in the first place. Though they still looked like dinosaurs we could tell that they had some kind of human form to their stance. This is why they had led us; this is why we had been drawn away from Terra Nova. The dinosaurs of this time period needed our help to become human once again.

"They must be our people Jonah. They became dinosaurs to survive, somehow morphed into dinosaurs and now they need us to turn them human again. This has to be why we were both drawn from Terra Nova. This Tree has something to do with our people."

"Okay, but wouldn't there be evidence of the town that once stood around this tree. I mean the one we saw in your locket? Where'd the town go?"

"Maybe it eroded away when time took back the continent and our people were forgotten about. OW!"

"What's wrong?"

"I stubbed my foot on something…is that a piece of a stone fence?"

**The Forgotten Town:**

The town wasn't eroded away; it had sunk under the ocean. What had once been a valley was now the ocean. I pulled my backpack off and put it in the tree where it wouldn't fall out and Jonah did the same. Then the two of us, hand in hand, moved towards the deep area of the ocean, looked back at the animals that had brought us to the tree and then at what might lie ahead. The ocean spread out far and wide in front of us but that didn't stop us. We took a step forward, my free hand holding onto my locket and we sunk like a rock.

As we sank, we saw our forgotten town, the town that had vanished into the ocean when the shoreline had sunk. We saw the creatures swimming around and even as we touched bottom and knew that we should be dead by now, but weren't, we soon figured out why. Holding onto the locket had made a bubble of air surround us and it was now letting us take in what had once been home to our parents. The creatures swimming around the town, we could see with the help of the locket that they had been human at once. They had chosen to stay with the town and had thus turned into sea dinosaurs.

We started walking forwards and the creatures moved towards us. We saw what we needed to see. The roots of the tree were embedded in the sea floor. The tree had been pushed up from the sea floor to its current location. It was a meeting place between two worlds, once united. Jonah and I were here to reunite the two worlds once again. We nodded once before one of the creatures came over and took us back to the surface where we could continue to help in any way necessary to free our people.

**Discovered Secrets:**

Once back in shallow water, we grabbed our backpacks and headed to the beach. Sitting down, we realized that the carnotaur and Slashers that had brought us to the tree were now gone but a small little pile of fruit had been left for us to munch on. We smiled and I used one of my daggers to cut open one of the fruits and we shared it. We pulled out both of our books and together read what they said. We found out that unlike the town that had been submerged, there were supposed to be three other towns that had survived the ocean waters.

We also found out that the tree was the giver of the life in this time period and that on every Equinox the descendants of our people, now in dinosaur form, made the yearly pilgrimage to the tree to witness the birth of a new year. They did it without even knowing that this is what they were supposed to do. The tree stood over 4,000 feet high and was as wide as four school buses. The book also mentioned some sort of spell that had to be said in order to transform the dinosaurs back into humans. And as much as we wanted to continue to read, we knew better. We put our books away and got up, using the locket as a compass and headed for one of the settlements that was still on land. As soon as we headed out, the Slashers joined the group once again and though they seemed to be interested in eating us, knew that they were better off leaving us alone as we might be there salvation.

**Terra Nova:**

Josh and Skye were questioned by Mr. Shannon, Dr. Shannon and Commander Taylor the morning after they snuck out of the Compound. Maddy had mentioned that Audio hadn't been at Orientation and Josh and Skye remembered that she and another kid from her house had said that they were going to be gone a few days.

"What time did you last see Audio and Jonah?" _Commander Taylor asked._

"Like twenty minutes after we left Terra Nova. They said that they were headed somewhere to learn about Audio's lineage and that they wouldn't be back for a few days. They looked like they could handle themselves and they certainly had enough with them to survive a few days on their own." _Skye said._

"And which direction did they head?" _Mr. Shannon asked._

"They were headed west when we looked back to see what they were doing. It looked like they knew exactly where they were going but then again, they did just get here like the rest of us did." _Josh said._

"But Audio and Jonah don't know anything about this place. I mean sure, Audio's book used to talk about a place like Terra Nova and it did show a giant tree sitting in the middle of the ocean, but it wouldn't tell them how to survive OTG." _Maddy said._

"What did you just say?" _Lt. Washington asked._

"About what?"

"About this book that Audio reads. What about a tree?"

"It wasn't like it was of any importance. Audio could never figure out why the tree was so important and she always kept having to reread the book because half of it was missing."

"What are you thinking Wash?" _Commander Taylor asked._

"Well you remember that gathering we witnessed on the Equinox, with all the dinosaurs converging on the shoreline."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"The dinosaurs were converging at the shoreline because of a tree that stood on top of a giant rock. It was in the shallow part of the water, right where the shallow end drop off and the deep end begins. Maybe they were headed there for some reason and if so, we could head there as well. We could find them, bring them back and then possibly punish them for going out by themselves."

"But what if Audio and Jonah had a good reason to leave Terra Nova? What if that book Audio reads all the time told her that this is where she was born? What if she was meant to come here and do something amazing?" _Maddy asked._

"No offense Maddy, but you've been reading too many books."

"Shove off Josh, I'm serious. That book of hers always looked really old like it was written before a certain time. I mean books aren't even published on paper anymore."

"Maddy does have a point. If that book was written a long time ago, it could outline what is really going on here." _Dr. Shannon said._

"Thanks for your help mom."

"Hey, Audio means a lot to me as well. She basically ate at our house most of the time."

"Yes I know, she didn't like the food at the orphanage."

"So it's settled then, we'll send a patrol out in the morning to look for the two and make sure that they are alright. Wash I think it's best if you go with. You'll be able to persuade them to get back inside the gates faster if you go. And if not, you'll be able to help them in any way you can. Just keep an eye out for the Sixers. We don't need any more trouble from them then we are already getting." _Commander Taylor finished._

"Of course Commander; we'll pack tonight and have everything ready to leave in the morning."

Commander Taylor and Lt. Wash left the Shannon house and Skye went back to her house for the night. The Shannon family got dinner ready and after some more questioning, headed off to bed for the night.

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

_**Please Review…**_


	5. The Truth

**The Truth:**

_**Previously…**__The Shannon family got dinner ready and after some more questioning, headed off to bed for the night…_

**Conquering Heights:**

Jonah and I headed into the forest for what we knew to be one of the abandoned villages left over from when our people used to walk this land. We knew that it would be awhile before we actually saw any normal people around and we were hoping that nobody would come looking for us but we also knew that they would come looking for us and if they found us in the company of dinosaurs they would shoot first and ask questions later. It wasn't that hard to see either. We could see that these dinosaurs had once been human and we knew that there was a possibility that we could make them human once again so we were going to do everything in our power to bring our people back to life, or so to speak.

It was midday when we finally reached the village. And oh what a wonder it was. The village was set in the side of a mountain, like back in the old days in the history books. The history books at school always taught about the Native Americans and how they were the first humans on the planet but Jonah and I knew better because we were witness to it. We were the proof that our people were the first human to live on Earth, despite the fact that our people eventually ended up transforming into dinosaurs in order to survive something that had happened so long ago.

As we moved into the village, examining everything that was still standing, I pulled out my camera and started to take pictures of everything that I…we were seeing. It was amazing to see it and yet with all the creatures lingering in the vicinity it was so…so…there were no words to describe what it was. It was hard to say exactly how we felt; we only knew that our people must have loved us to the point of going to another time in order for some of their lineage to survive whatever it was that the rest weren't able to live with. Obviously it was some kind of plague but if it was contagious, neither Jonah nor I knew.

**A People's Love:**

We decided to spend the next few days in the Cliff Town, or so we called it. Because it was a town within itself. It had survived the test of time and was allowing us to view it without any disturbances. We also knew that if we didn't stop here for a few days we would lose what little our people had left to share with us. We also knew that the people of Terra Nova were probably looking for us and it was better to stay in this spot till they did and tell them what they wanted to hear so they could take it back with them. If anything, it would help the patrol out when they saw why we had come out here.

Cliff Town had many surprises and though it was something of a wonder to us, we knew that when anyone else saw it, it would be more like a 'what in the hell' kind of thing. Cliff Town was from our past, our people had lived here and worshiped here and had loved here. They had left this for us to find and we knew that if we were to truly understand the People of the Tree then we were going to need to stay out longer than we had originally wanted to.

But Jonah and I both knew that that wouldn't be a problem for us. We knew that whatever came our way, as long as we were together, nothing bad could befall us. If we stayed together, we would always have each other, no matter how bad this journey got. We hoped that our people would guide us and tell us how we were doing, show us that they had chosen to become dinosaurs for a reason and to let us know that we were on the right track, no matter what anyone else said. And we knew that they would because it was easy to see why our people had left this time to begin with. The continents had been moving and if they didn't leave when they could, there would be no leaving at all. Kind of like with the sea creatures that hadn't left the Sea Village. They had become sea dinosaurs because it was something that they had to do in order to survive the long years underwater.

It was easier for our people to leave this time in order for our lineage to survive. Though most of our lineage had transformed into dinosaurs, those that hadn't had journeyed to the future to live out the remainder of their lives and though I had never known my family, I knew that Jonah was now my family. As we got settled for the night in one of the only remaining houses, we knew that the next few days would bring much turbulence and we knew that we could handle them, no matter what came our way.

**The Convergence:**

Lt. Wash and the group had headed out almost immediately, heading for the tree that had been of such wonder the past Equinox. They had made it to the tree but saw no one around it let alone any dinosaurs. The most they saw was a line of footprints leading away from the tree and into the forest, headed north. If they were headed north, then they would most likely run into the mountainous area sooner or later and the only good news with that was that they wouldn't be able to travel any further. There was really nothing in te mountainous area except more carnivore dinosaurs, in fact most of the mountainous territory was known to be Slasher territory but for some reason there were no Slashers out and about as they normally were.

The patrol had taken a multi-use rover, one that had doors and enough back space to sleep in if need be. They were taking no chances. If they ran into dinosaurs or Slashers, they would be ready. The rover was stock piled with food to last a few days, containers of water to last about a week if rationed right, sleeping material and bags of personal items for each member on the patrol. Though Reynolds had wanted to go along, he'd decided that it was better for him to stay at the Compound. Lt. Washington seemed to be able to handle just about anything that was thrown at her. She had taken Lt. Guzman as her backup, knowing full well that the more humans out looking for the two orphans the more of a target they would be for any dinosaurs looking for a quick bite to eat.

They followed the footprints as far into the mountainous range as possible until they came upon what looked like an old village. But it couldn't be because the first humans to this time were the people of Terra Nova. So how could there be an old village built into the cliffs that nobody knew about. Even the Sixers couldn't have known about it because they had never mentioned it before. Lt. Guzman stopped the rover and the two soldiers got out. The first thing they noticed was all the Slashers hanging around in broad daylight, as if it was a natural thing for them. The second thing they noticed was the two orphans that had gone OTG the day before. They were in front of one the only remaining houses doing something.

Lt. Guzman and Lt. Washington walked up to the two and bent down, making sure that the two could see their faces. The two looked up as if they weren't even surprised that they had been found.

"Can we help you Lt.'s?"

"Yes, you can get your butts into the rover over there and come back to Terra Nova. The Shannon's are pretty worried about you Audio and Jonah your housemates are worried about you. You two can't be out here by yourself." _Lt. Washington said._

"We aren't going back, sorry. We have to do this. Our people need us to do this."

"And who are your people?" _Lt. Guzman asked._

"They used to be human, but sometime ago they turned into dinosaurs in order to survive a changing world. We are here to make them human again. We can't go back until our people are allowed to walk the planet again as humans. They need us to help them; they can't do anything by themselves."

"Well, Commander Taylor did say that if we couldn't convince you to come back that we were to stay and help you in any way that we could. So what's your next step?" _Lt. Washington said._

"We have two more villages to locate before we head back to the Tree. Once we locate the other villages we'll know more about what we are supposed to do. This village had another part of our book and we have been piecing it back together since early this morning."

"And all the Slashers around? Why aren't they attacking you?" _Lt. Guzman asked._

"They are part of our people. If you look at them the right way, you can see their human stances and you can tell that they used to be human. You guys can bunk with us in this house tonight and then we'll head out tomorrow. And I know you have a radio on you but it won't work out this far."

"Yeah, we already noticed that. Looks like you guys came armed. There was a soldier a few days back that lost track of his weapon. At least now we know who took it from him."

"Sorry, but we needed it more than a drunk soldier did."

"It's okay, I understand. We'll let the Commander know what's going on when we come back into radio range."

"That's probably best."

The talking stopped and Lt. Wash and Lt. Guz went to get some things from the rover. When they came back, they had food, water and a few blankets with them. They smiled as they handed over some of the food and water.

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

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